In conventional vehicle door actuation systems, a user may open a door through a mechanical operation. For example, an exterior handle may be used to rotate a shaft connected to a rotatable arm. In such mechanical systems, the rotatable arm may be mounted to a rod that is used to move a door latch, which engages a door opening mechanism to open the door.
Where vehicle doors are particularly heavy and cumbersome, users may have a difficult time opening and closing the door. Vehicle doors on certain military or security vehicles, for instance, often require heavy, armored plates on the outer surface of the vehicle. The sheer weight of the door may make it difficult to push or pull the door open or closed. To address this issue, powered door assist systems may provide assistance to users when opening and closing the door. However, certain conventional mechanical systems may lack the ability to be used in conjunction with powered door assist systems. Certain systems employ a conventional mechanical approach to opening, closing, locking, and unlocking a vehicle door while others use a separate approach for activating a powered door assist system. Thus, there exists a need for a vehicle door actuation system that integrates a mechanical door open/close mechanisms with a vehicle powered door assist system.